Below is a comprehensive overview in English of the June 12, 2025, crash of Air India Flight AI 171,

Flight and Aircraft

Air India Flight AI 171 was a Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner departing from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 1:38 p.m. IST (UTC +05:30) on June 12, 2025, bound for London Gatwick. The Dreamliner, delivered to Air India in 2012, was powered by General Electric GEnx engines and had logged several years of service without major incident prior to this flight reuters.comcbsnews.com.

Sequence of Events

Takeoff and Initial Climb
- At approximately 1:43 p.m., just five minutes after rotation, the aircraft climbed to around 3,000 feet when air traffic controllers lost contact. Witnesses reported flames or a fireball emanating from the right engine before the plane descended rapidly people.comreuters.com.
Crash Site Impact
- The aircraft crashed into a residential and educational complex, striking a hostel building associated with B J Medical College and Civil Hospital in the Gomtipur locality of Ahmedabad. The fuselage and wings disintegrated on impact, scattering debris across nearby rooftops and streets reuters.com.
Emergency Response
- Local fire services, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and Gujarat State Disaster Response Force (GSDF) converged on the scene within minutes. Sniffer dogs and specialized teams combed through the wreckage, searching for both victims and aircraft components critical to the investigation theguardian.com.

Casualties

Onboard: Of the 242 souls (230 passengers and 12 crew) aboard, 241 were confirmed dead. The sole survivor is a British national, 40‑year‑old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, who was seated next to an emergency exit and is currently in critical but stable condition at a local hospital reuters.comreuters.com.
Ground: At least 24 individuals on the ground perished when the aircraft tore into the medical college hostel and adjacent quarters, including students and staff. Reports indicate additional injuries to about 20 residents in surrounding buildings reuters.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com.
Nationalities: Passengers represented 4 countries:
- India: 169
- United Kingdom: 53
- Portugal: 7
- Canada: 1 reuters.compeople.com.

Crew Profiles

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (Indian national, 8,200 flight hours)
First Officer Clive Kunder (British national, 1,100 flight hours; cousin of Bollywood actor Vikrant Massey) people.com.

Both flight crew were highly experienced, with no known disciplinary or safety concerns in their records.

Investigation Status

Black Box Recovery
- On June 13, investigators located and retrieved both the digital flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder from the crash site rooftop. One unit showed minor damage but is deemed recoverable. Indian investigators are analyzing the data, with technical assistance expected from Boeing and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board experts apnews.comabcnews.go.com.
Preliminary Findings
- Early signals point toward a potential loss of engine thrust on the right-hand GEnx engine shortly after takeoff. However, investigators caution that definitive conclusions await full analysis of black box data and wreckage examination apnews.com.
Regulatory Actions
- India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued an immediate directive for additional inspections of all Air India Boeing 787‑8 and 787‑9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines. Checks will include fuel systems, engine controls, hydraulic systems, and takeoff performance parameters apnews.com.